The Three Tenses of Salvation
In my church life, it is so common to speak of my "salvation" as synonymous with my conversion experience, I sometimes lose sight of the bible's clear teaching on the three tenses of salvation. Nonetheless, the bible teaches at any given moment a living and breathing believer can say truthfully that he/she "was saved," "is being saved" and "will be saved" --all three tenses are accurate expressions of an aspect of our salvation.
We have been saved from the penalty of sin; this was justification. We were saved/justified by our faith in Jesus Christ: "Now it was not written for [Abraham's] sake alone, that [righteousness] was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." [Rom. 4:23-25]
We are being saved from the power of sin; this is sanctification. We are being saved/sanctified by pursuing a life that conforms to God's standards: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." [1 Thess. 4:3-7]
We shall be saved from the presence of all sin; this is bodily redemption. We will be saved/redeemed to eternal life in an incorruptible body: "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." [Rom. 8:23-25]
We have been saved from the penalty of sin; this was justification. We were saved/justified by our faith in Jesus Christ: "Now it was not written for [Abraham's] sake alone, that [righteousness] was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." [Rom. 4:23-25]
We are being saved from the power of sin; this is sanctification. We are being saved/sanctified by pursuing a life that conforms to God's standards: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." [1 Thess. 4:3-7]
We shall be saved from the presence of all sin; this is bodily redemption. We will be saved/redeemed to eternal life in an incorruptible body: "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." [Rom. 8:23-25]
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